The Two Honey Stalls

Jorge had sold honey at the Saturday market for eleven years. His stall was small, but he knew most of his customers by name. Then, one spring morning, a new stall appeared right next to his. It sold honey too.

Jorge sudah sebelas tahun menjual madu di pasar hari Sabtu. Lapaknya kecil, tetapi ia mengenal sebagian besar pelanggannya dengan nama. Lalu, pada suatu pagi di musim semi, sebuah lapak baru muncul tepat di sebelahnya. Lapak itu juga menjual madu.

The woman who ran it was called Xenia. She had a blue tent, neat rows of jars, and a sign saying "Fresh from the hills." Jorge looked at his own sign, which was old and a little crooked.

Perempuan yang mengelolanya bernama Xenia. Ia punya tenda biru, deretan stoples yang rapi, dan papan bertuliskan "Segar dari perbukitan." Jorge menatap papannya sendiri, yang sudah tua dan agak miring.

For weeks, the two of them competed. When Jorge lowered his prices, Xenia lowered hers. When she offered free samples on tiny wooden spoons, he painted a new sign covered in bees. They said good morning to each other, but nothing more.

Selama berminggu-minggu, keduanya bersaing. Ketika Jorge menurunkan harga, Xenia ikut menurunkan harganya. Ketika Xenia membagikan sampel gratis dengan sendok kayu mungil, Jorge mengecat papan baru yang penuh gambar lebah. Mereka saling mengucapkan selamat pagi, tetapi tidak lebih dari itu.

Jorge told himself that he didn't care. Still, he went home tired every Saturday. He had begun to wonder whether the market was big enough for two honey sellers.

Jorge meyakinkan dirinya bahwa ia tidak peduli. Meski begitu, setiap Sabtu ia pulang dengan lelah. Ia mulai bertanya-tanya apakah pasar ini cukup besar untuk dua penjual madu.

One afternoon in June, the sky turned grey, and the rain came down hard. People ran for cover while the sellers rushed to protect their tables. Then a strong gust of wind caught Xenia's tent. One pole snapped, and the blue cloth fell over her jars.

Pada suatu sore di bulan Juni, langit berubah kelabu dan hujan turun deras. Orang-orang berlari mencari tempat berteduh, sementara para pedagang bergegas melindungi meja mereka. Lalu embusan angin kencang menghantam tenda Xenia. Satu tiangnya patah, dan kain biru itu jatuh menutupi stoples-stoplesnya.

Jorge didn't stop to think. He ran across and held up the broken pole with one arm. "Bring the jars under my tent, quickly!"

Jorge tidak berhenti untuk berpikir. Ia berlari ke seberang dan menahan tiang yang patah itu dengan satu lengan. "Bawa stoples-stoplesnya ke bawah tendaku, cepat!"

Together they carried every box to his side. Soon they were standing in a small, dry space, wet through and out of breath.

Bersama-sama mereka mengangkut setiap kotak ke sisinya. Tak lama kemudian mereka berdiri di sebuah ruang kecil yang kering, basah kuyup dan terengah-engah.

"I thought you hated me," Xenia said.

"Kukira kamu membenciku," kata Xenia.

"I thought the same about you," Jorge answered, and he laughed for the first time in weeks.

"Aku juga mengira begitu tentangmu," jawab Jorge, dan ia tertawa untuk pertama kalinya setelah berminggu-minggu.

While the rain drummed on the roof, they tried each other's honey. Hers was pale and flowery, from the hills. His was dark and strong, from the orchards in the valley.

Sementara hujan menabuh atap, mereka saling mencicipi madu masing-masing. Madu Xenia berwarna pucat dan beraroma bunga, dari perbukitan. Madu Jorge gelap dan pekat, dari kebun-kebun di lembah.

"People think all honey tastes the same," Xenia said. "If they could try both side by side, they would see the difference."

"Orang-orang mengira semua madu rasanya sama," kata Xenia. "Kalau mereka bisa mencoba keduanya berdampingan, mereka akan melihat bedanya."

"We could sell them together," Jorge said slowly. "A little box with two jars."

"Kita bisa menjualnya bersama," kata Jorge perlahan. "Satu kotak kecil berisi dua stoples."

The next Saturday, a new sign hung over the two stalls: "Two Farms, One Tasting Box." Xenia had painted the letters, and Jorge had painted the bees. By noon, half the boxes were gone.

Sabtu berikutnya, sebuah papan baru tergantung di atas kedua lapak itu: "Dua Kebun, Satu Kotak Cicip." Xenia yang melukis hurufnya, dan Jorge yang melukis lebahnya. Menjelang siang, separuh kotaknya sudah habis.

"Same time next week?" Xenia asked, counting the coins.

"Waktu yang sama minggu depan?" tanya Xenia sambil menghitung koin.

"Same place," Jorge said. "But bring a stronger pole."

"Tempat yang sama," kata Jorge. "Tapi bawa tiang yang lebih kuat."